Method and machine for making closure caps



Jan. 12, 15943. c; GIBBS 2,308,276"

METHOD AND MACHINE FOR MAKING CLOSURE CAPS Filed Jan. 25, 1939 5Sheets-Sheet 1 HIHIIIIII INVENTOR Jan. 12, 1943. c, I S 2,398,27

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METEOD AND MACHINE FOR MAKING CLOSURE CAPS Filed Jan. 25, 1939 5Sheets-Sheet s INVENTOR Jan. 1943 J. c GIBBS 2,308,276 v METHOD ANDMACHINE FOR MAKING CLOSURE CAPS Filed Jan. 25, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 v rW 72- 1 I I l 7 Z) I jU u I INVENTOR .70/1/2 Z. (Z (5&1'

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METHOD AND MACHINE FOR MAKING CLOSURE CAPS Filed Jan. 25, 1,939 5Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR- PatentedJan. 12, 1943 METHOD'AND mom FOR MAKINGCLOSURE cars I 1.1... 'o. Gibbs, New York, 'N. Y., assignor to AnchorCap & Closure Corporation, Long Island City, N. Y., a corporation of NewYork Application January 25, 1939, Serial No. 252,741

24 Claims. (-01. 153-2) The present invention relates. generally to theclosure caps, having an inturned bead or wire edge at the bottomthereof.

For many years, closure capshave been made with a beaded edge tostraighten the skirt of the cap, to conceal the raw edge and preventrust, andto improvethe appearance of the caps. The head has been formedby stamping a hat-shaped blank and thereafter rollingthe brim or flangeupwardly on the outside of the skirt into a wire edge. This has thedisadvantage of making both sides of the metal from which the cap isformed visible from the exterior of the cap. If the inside ofthe cap iscoated yellow and the outside coated black, the resulting cap is blackwith a yellow head at the bottom. The objection has been so great thatduring the last three or four years caps have been sold with an inturnedwire edge whichgives the solid color throughout the cap and exposes butone side of the metal forming the cap. It was found, however, that themethod for'making the capswith the outturned wire edgecould not be used,for the manufacture of caps with the inturned edges. The formerweremanufactured in rolling machines which were able to deliver severalhundred capsa minute because it was a continuous rolling operationwhereas the latter had to be manufactured on what is termed'di'almachines, an example of which is shown in my application Serial No.168,536, filed October 12, 1937, now Patent No. 2,282,959, granted May12, 1942, and which are operated at a much'slow'ers'peed, in most casesless than'half the speed of the rolling machines. In' addition, theunits are larger, more expensive and require more attention inoperamanufacture ofclosure caps and more particu- 1 larly to a methodand machine for making tion and thefsame number of operators as aroll-5' ing machine. Hence, the cost of labor is practically doubledinthe'actual forming of the caps.

As a'resulti the inturned edge caps have been generally sold at a higherprice and at'a lowerim'proved caps are concededly better and moreprofit/than the regular types of caps. While the' attractive than theprior types of caps, they have; not lieenadopted generally due totheir-higher manufacture hat-shapedblanks-"downwardly instead of up To"decrease costs, at- .tenipt's were madeto roll the usual flange of thewardl-y; but the resulting caps were' not 'satisfactory and the methodwas not a success.

bead onacup-shaped" blank atthe' "sani'espeed as machines heretoforehave rolled outturned'wire edges on closure caps, thereby enablingmanufacturers to make inturned edge closure caps at the vide an improvedmethod and machine for mak- 1 ing closure caps with an inturned edge orwire.

Another object of the invention is to reduce the cost of manufacture ofclosure caps with an inturned bead.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine and method formanufacturing closure caps with an inturned bead in a continuous, asdistinguished from an intermittent, operation at a high rate of speed.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved means forfeeding caps to a forming machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved means forejecting orremoving the caps from the machine.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon anunderstanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described, orwill be indicated in the appended claims, and various drawings, forminga part of the specification,

wherein Fig.1 is a side elevational view of the machine; Fig. la is asectional view of a blank adapted to be operated upon by the ma'chinetoform a closure cap; I v v Fig. 2 is a top plan'view of the machine; Fig.3' is a sectional view of one of the forming head's illu stratingdetails thereof taken on the line 3%; of Fig-1; f

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail view illustrating the movement of thecaps alongthe guideway of the-feeding mechanism taken onv the line 4'4ofFig.5; J

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side. elevational view of the feeding mechanismshown in Fig. 4;

Fig. .6 is a of Fig.4)

Fig-J7 -is a sectional view along. the line '|-'-'-l of Fig. 4,;illustrating means for stopping the flo of caps to the machine whendesired;

Fig. 8 is 'a sectional view along the line 8f-"8,

performed ofFig 1 illustratingthe first operation 7 on'theblankillustrated in Fig; 1d;

Fig. 9 is a sectionalv view along the line 9-. -9

sectional view along th i 5 of Fig.1'illustrating the second operationperformed on the blank;

Fig. is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating details of themechanism for ejecting blanks from the chucks after the first operationsareperformed, taken on the line IG-lll of Fig. 1;

Fig. 10a is an enlarged sectional view illustrat- Fig. 11 is afragmentary sectional view illustrating the removal of the caps from thefirst forming head, taken on the line I|--| of Fig. l; and

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary sectional view along the line 'I 2|2 of Fig. 1illustrating the third and final operation performed on the blank inmaking a closure cap.

Described generally the preferred embodiment of the machine, whichillustrates one way of performing the method, comprises a cap feed showngenerally at l in Fig. 1 for feeding the blanks 2 ing the operation ofthe mechanism shown in Fig.

illustrated in Fig. 1a toa head 4 where the lower edge of the blank isturned inwardly as shown in Fig. 8 and immediately thereafter a screwthread is formed in the cap as shown in Fig. 9. The blanks are thenejected by the mechanism shown generally at 5 in Fig. 1 and illustratedin Figs. 10, 10a and 11. The partly finished caps are then delivered bya feeding mechanism la, similar to the feeding mechanism I, to a secondforming head 6 where the partially formed bead is completed as shown inFig. 12. Thereafter the caps are ejected at 1.

Referring to the drawings, Figs. 4, 5 and 6 illustrate details of thecap feed shown generally one cap at a time in a manner to be described.A second stop l5 rotatably mounted on the pin it below the first stophas its lower end I] extending into the channel and in the path of theblanks to stop and position the lowermost blank. The

passes, a blank is delivered to the chuck and a second blank is releasedby the stop l4 so that it may drop against the stop l5 and be held inposition for the succeeding chuck. The stop |4 serves to keep the lineof caps spaced from the forward blank which is in position to bedelivered to a chuck.

In certain cases, it may be necessary to stop the feeding mechanismwithout stopping the forming machine. For this purpose, a mechanism isshown in Figs. 4, 5 and 7 adapted to be operated to prevent the capsfrom moving past it in the guideway Ill. The mechanism comprises a pin26 having a spring 21 tending to force it upwardly in the path of theblanks. The

pin is held in ineffective position by a latch member 28 pivotallymounted at 29. A projection fits under a collar 3| normally to hold thepin 26 in ineffective position. If the operator desires to stop the feedof caps, he presses the latch member 28 in the direction of the arrowwhich removes the projection 30 from under'the collar 3| and permits thepin 26 to be forced into the guideway to stop the movement of caps. Whenit is desired to start the cap feed again, the collar 3| may be grippedto pull the pin out of the path of the blanks, in which case the latchmember 28 is forced into its operative position by a spring 32 to engageand hold the pin in inoperative position.

The blank after being fed to the chuck 2| passes through the head 4,shown generally in Figs. 1 and 2 and in detail in Fig. 3, where thelower edge of the cap is inturned inwardly, as shown in Figs. 3 and 8,and a screw thread is formed in the cap as shown in Fig. 9. Referringmore particularly to Fig. 3 of the drawings, the head '4 comprises asupporting bracket 34 having a bearing 35 in which a shaft 38 is mountedby a nut 31. .A stationary disc 39 is keyed to the shaft 36 at itsopposite end and a rotating disc 4|! is mounted on the shaft 36 throughthe intermediation of the roller bearings 4|. The disc 40 has gear teeth42 on its periphery which mesh with a gear 44 (Fig. l) for driving thedisc.

Aseries' of chucks 2f are rotatablym'ounted in bearings 45 spacedequidistantly adjacent the stop I5 is held in its operative position bymeans of a pin l8 mounted in a bracket and held resiliently against thestopby a spring 20. The purpose of the cap feed is to deliver blanks oneat a time to the chucks 2| moving in a circular path as shown in Figs.3, 4 and 5. As will be noted in Fig. 5, the guideway I0 is inclined atan angle to the path of the chucks 2|. Thus, the blanks are delivered intilted position so that each chuck 2| may engage the skirt or flange ofa blank to force it past the stop l5 and seat it on the chuck for thesubsequent forming operations. In order to relieve strain on the blankwhen the chuck engages the skirt while moving at a rapid speed, a roller22 is mounted on the lower end of the stop I! by a pin 24. The roller22, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, extends into the path of the chucks 2|.Preferably the relative position of the roller periphery of the rotatingdisc 40.. Each chuck has a gear 43 meshing with gear teeth on theperiphery of the stationry disc 39. As the disc 48 is rotated, thechucks 2| are rotated with it about the shaft 36 and are also rotated,by means of. the gears 46 meshing with the gear teeth 41, about theirown axes.

Each chuck 2| (Figs. 3, 8, 9 and 10) has a disc 48 forming a shoulderadjacent the lower edge of the blank and a ring 49 havin a spiral groove50 therein for forming a thread on the cap. The discs and ring are heldin position by a flanged nut ll threaded to thesupporting shaft 52 forthe chuck. The stationary disc 39 has a series of plates 54, 35 and 58mounted adjacent its periphery with parts adapted to cooperate with thechuck for forming the inturned edge and the 22-and the chuck 2| is suchthat the roller 22 is engaged and pressed outwardly at or just prior tothe engagement of the chuck with the front edge of the blank. In thisway the blank is automati- 'cally released independently of any pressureapplied to it directly by the chuck. The release of I! in the v-shapednotch 25. mus, as each chuck- 13s is substantially a continuation g t ema thread in the blank as shown'more particularly in Figs. 3, 8 and 9.The plate I! has a groove I fitting about the disc 43 on the chuck andadapted to bend the edge of the cap about the disc 43 on the chuck asshown more particularly in Fig.

a. while the plate l3, could be utilized for form ing the thread, it ispreferred to have a second section inrthe head 4 as shown in Fig. 9 withplates .440, "a and "a in whichthe thread is formed. It will be noted inFig. 8 that-the plate 55 with a groove for the inturned edge of the cap.The plate 580, however, has a rib 58 which corresponds in slope orinclination to the groove in the chuck 2|. The plates 54, 55 and 58 areheld in position by a plate 59 bolted to the periphery of the disc 89.Plate 59 extends outwardly beyond the chucks 2| to hold the blanks inposition thereon. A cover plate 60 extends over the entire mechanism asshown in dot and dash lines in Fig. 3. As the blanks on the chucks 2|pass about the disc 89, the edge of the blank is first turned inwardlyand thereafter in a second stage the thread is formed in the cap in acontinuous operation.

The mechanism for removing the partially fln ished caps from the head 4and delivering them to the head 5 where the blanks are finished is,

chuck having substantially the same size as the.

inturned flange of the blank. The ring 6| is supported by pins 62 whichare moved in and out by a shoulder 84 on a 'pin 85 extending centrallyand axially of the chuck shaft 52. The pin 85 is held in ineifectiveposition by a spring 85 mounted in a recess 81in the supporting shaft 52of the chuck and pressing against a collar 68 on the pin 65.v The end ofthe pin 65 is threaded to receive a nut member 89 which has a ball I8mounted in the end thereof by means of -a-plate H secured inposition byscrews12. The-pin 55.

is normally ineffective, but when the chucks on the end of pin 65engages a cam '14 which compresses the spring and forces the shoulder 64against the ends of the pins 62 to 'centralize the ring 6| with-respectto chuck 2| as shown more particularly in Fig. 10a. When the blankis-thus centralized by the ring 6|, there is no possibility of theflange .of the blank interlocking with the disc 48 and the cap may beremoved from the chuck. I

The removal may be efiected in any suitable manner but preferably camsengage the bottom of the blank as shown more particularly in Figs. 10aand 11 to remove the blank from the chuck and to deliver it into aguideway I8. In order to prevent any possibility of the blanks droppingback into the head 4, a stop preferably provided at 11 and a second stopor detent is provided at 18. If a blank should not go all theway intothe guideway 16, the succeeding cap delivered by the succeeding chuck 2|will force it past the second detent and eliminate any possibility ofits getting into the machine. The guideway I6 may have a removable coveror window where the caps may be removed for inspection.

The guideway 16, shown more particularlyfin Fig. 1, delivers the capsdown to a cap feed la similar to the cap feed I and the cap feed ladelivers the partially finished blanks to the chucks in the head 5 in asimilar manner to that described in connection with the cap feed I.

Therefore, a further description of the cap feed for the second headis'not necessary.

. land 2) is geared to the intermediate 'gear '44 which also mesheswith-the rotating disc 40-of 4.0 reach the ejection point, the bearingvor ball '10 v The forming head l-isadapted to roll'the inturned flangeof the blankupwardly and outwardly against the flanseor skirt of theblank to form an'inturned bead or wire edge as shown wardly while theskirt of the cap is supported in the plates 80 and 8|, as illustrated indetail in Fig. 12. The chuck and ring 48a force the inturned edge on theblank firmly against the skirt of the blank to form a completed inturnedbead or wire edge. Only one side of the sheet metal forming the cap isvisible from the exterior of the cap. The construction of the chuck 2hris different from chuck 2| among other respects in that the parts areheld in position by a screw or bolt, 82. Since the inturned edge of} theblank has been turned upwardly to form an inturned head or wire, thereare no projecting parts likely to interlock with the chuck and hence thecap centering device shown more par-- ticularly in Figs. 10 and 11 isnot desirable in connection with the ejecting mechanism of' the secondhead, although suchmeans could be used."

The cam mechanism for-removing, the ca'ps'andthe stops for the caps maybe similarto those illustrated and described in conneotionwith the firstforming head and a description. isnot 'be-' I 7 ing repeated'here. Therotating disc 40a (Figs.

the forming head 4.. Thus the two forming heads are interconnected andtimed with respect to each other. Inithis way-the-output of each in theform of a resilient button or detent is is the same and the secondforming headwill be prepared to receiveallblanks delivered b 'the flrstforming head. I I

desirable to turn the machine over manuallyto ascertain if .all the Insome cases it may be parts are in working order. For this purpose-anidling gear on a stub shaft meshes with gear 86 mounted upon main driveshaft 81 which has a socket 88 adapted to be engaged by an op-' eratingcrank. The drive shaft 81 is driven by a suitable motor (not shown) tooperate themachine.

diflerent sizes of gears 40 and.84 and to permit accurate adjustment bythe handle 98 so that the Q Y gears mesh properly for driving themachine.

In the operation of the machine blanks 2, illustrated in Fig. 1a, aredelivered by a suitable j stamping machine to the guideway NJ where. the

thereby permit the cap to move out of the guideway on the chuck 2|.

The bracket .98 adjustably held in posi-' tion by the bolt 9| is adaptedtoaccommodate Operation of the stop 15 v likewise operates the stop I4to deliver another cap in a position to be engaged by thenextsucceedingchuck. The chucks 2lmove with therojtating disc 40, about the stationarydisc 39...-'and ,1 are rotated. about their respective axes .by; gear's1 48 meshing with the gear 4| on the periphery of the disc 38., Theblankszpasstheformingplates 54, 55 and 56 where the plate '55 forms anin Thereafter,

turned flange on the bottom of the blank as shown more particularly inFig. 8. In a subsequent section of the forming head a plate 56a with arib 58 thereon forms a continuous thread in the blank. After the threadand fiange are formed, the chuck passes the delivery point where a cam Mengages the end of the pin 65 which centers the ring SI of the chuck,which in turn centers the blank on the chuck and prevents anyinterlocking of parts. The blank thus centered is engaged by the cams Iwhich remove the blank from the chuck. Stops 11 and 18 (-Fig. 11)prevents any possibility of the blanks dropping back into the forminghead. The partially formed blanks pass through guideways l6 and are fedto a second forming head 6 where chucks 2 la therein carry the blankspast plates 80 and 8| (Fig. 12).

It will be seen that the present invention provides a machine in which ascrew thread is formed in the cap and the cap provided with an inturnedbead or wire edge in a continuous rolling operation. The caps may bemanufactured with the speed of a rolling machine and bumping operationsrequiring dial feeding are completely eliminated. The caps may be madewith the same labor cost as ordinary screw caps with outwardly rollededges and thus a better product can be sold at the same price as thepresent less desirable form of cap. The machine'is rugged inconstruction with little likelihood of the parts becoming disarranged orbroken. It will be understood that while the present method and machineare shown applied to screw closure caps that it may be utilized in anyinstances where any inturned bead or wire is desired, regardless of theother structural features added to the cap.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangementof the parts herein without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to beunderstood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrativeand not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. The method of forming a thread and an inturned bead or wire in themanufacture of a closure cap or similar article, which method comprisesspirming the lower edge of the cap blank inwardly, rolling the thread inthe cap :blank prio flange upwardly and outwardly against the skirt.

of the cap blank in a single continuous operation. 2. The method'offorming an inturned wire or beaded edge in the manufacture of a closurecap or similar article, which method comprises spinning the lower edgeof the cap blank inwardly and in the same operation forming a screwthread in the cap blank, and thereafter in a substantially continuousmovement of the cap, spinning said edge outwardly against the skirt ofthe cap'blank to complete theformation of the bead.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of means forfeeding blanks for closure caps, a chuck to enter and carry ablank,-means means for removing the blank from said first chuck andplacing it on said second chuck, means for forcing said inturned edgeupwardly and outwardly against the skirt of the cap blank while on saidsecond chuck, and drive means for moving said chucks past the respectivemeans effective thereupon.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination of means forfeeding blanks for closure caps, a chuck to enter and carry a blank,means for turning a part of the metal of the blank inwardly while onsaid chuck, a second chuck, automatic means including guide membersengaging the bottom of the blankfor removing the blank from said firstchuck and holders for removably supporting the blank in the path of saidsecond chuck, means for forcing said inturned part of the metal of theblank outwardly while on said second chuck, and a common drive foroperating the finished caps are delivered said chucks in timed relationwith respect to each other.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of means forfeeding blanks for closure caps, a chuck adapted to enter and carry ablank, means for turning in the lower edge of the blank while on saidchuck, means for forming a screw thread in said blank while on saidchuck, a second chuck, automatic means including a guideway for removingthe blank from said first chuck and holding it in position to be engagedby said second chuck, means for forcing said inturned edge upwardly andoutwardly against the skirt of the cap, and a common drive means formoving said chucks in timed relation with respect to each other past therespective means effective thereupon.

6; In a device of the class described, the combination of means forfeeding blanks for closure caps, a chuck adapted to enter and carry acap blank, means for rotating said chuck about its axis, means forengaging the lower edge of the blank on said rotating chuck to roll thelower edge inwardly, a second chuck, means for moving said chuck indifferent orbits and in timed relation to each other, means for rotatingsaid second chuck about its axis, and means for removing the blank fromsaid first chuck and holding it in the path of said second chuck wherebyit becomes nested over said second chuck and means for cooperating withsaid second chuck to roll said inturned edge upwardly and outwardlyagainst the skirt of the cap to form a beaded edge.

7. In a device of the class described, the combination of means forfeeding blanks for closure caps, a chuck adapted to enter and carry ablank,

means for rotating said chuck, a stationary forming tool adapted tocooperate with said chuck,

and means for moving said rotating chuck past placing it on said secondchuck, a stationary forming tool for cooperating with said second chuck,means for rotating said second chuck, means for moving said secondrotating chuck past said stationary forming tool to force said inturnededge upwardly and outwardly against the skirt of the cap toform a bead.

8. In a device of the class described, the combination of means forfeeding blanks for closure caps, a chuckadapted to enter and carry ablank for turning the lower edge of the blank inwardly for a closurecap, said chuck being of a smaller diameter than said blank, astationary forming asoaavc tool adapted to cooperate with said chuck,means for rotating said chuck about its axis, means for moving saidchuck past said stationary forming tool for turning in the lower edge ofthe blank to form an intumed flange and for forming a screw thread inthe blank, a second chuck, auto-v matic means for centering the blankabout the first chuck to prevent interference between the flange and thechuck, means for removing the blank from said first chuck and applyingit to said second chuck during the movement thereof, a stationaryforming tool adapted to cooperate with said second chuck, means forrotating said second chuck and means for moving said second chuck pastsaid stationary forming tool to complete the formation of the bead onsaid closure cap.

9. In a device of the class described, the combination of a chuckadapted to enter and carry a blank for a closure cap, said chuck beingsmaller than said blank, means cooperating with said chuck for turningin the lower edge of said blank about a part on said chuck, means forengaging 14. In adevice for feeding blanks for closure caps to a formingmachine, the combination of a guideway, a chuck adapted to engage andenter the blanks in said guideway and for removing the blanks from theguideway, a member for resiliently holding a blank-in position to beengaged by the chuck, a second member for'holding a second blank spaceda substantial distance from said first blank so as to allow said chucksaid blank and centering it on said chuck so that the intumed flange onthe blank will not engage said chuck in the removal thereof and meansfor removing said blank from the chuck.

10. In a device of the class described, the combination of means forfeeding blanks for closure caps, a chuck adapted to enter-and carryaclosure cap, said chuck being smaller than a blank,

means cooperating with said chuck to-form an intumed flange at thebottom of said blank and means associated with said chuck and adapted achuck for entering and carrying a closure cap,

means cooperative with the chuck to force a porf tion of the skirtinwardly, expandingmeans including a ring member for engaging the loweredge of the blank to center the blank on the chuck and to preventinterlocking of the inwardly forced parts of the blank with parts of thechuck during the removal operation and means for operating saidexpanding means.

12. In a device of the class described, the combination of a chuckadapted to enter and carry a cup-shaped blank, means adapted tocooperate with said chuck to perform operations comprising the bendingof parts of the blank from the exterior of the blank inwardly, a secondchuck, means for centering the blank about the first chuck to preventinterference between the chuck and the inwardly bent parts of the blankand for transferring the blank from the first chuck'to said second chuckand means cooperating with said second chuck to bend portions of saidblank from the interior thereof outwardly.

13. In a device of the class described, the'combination of a chuckadapted to receive a closure cap, means cooperating with said chuck and.effective upon the exterior of the cap to form an inwardly extendingthread in said blank and an intumed edge at the bottom of said blank, asecond chuck, means for removing the blank with the inturned edge andthread from said first chuck and placing it on said second chuck andmeans cooperating with said second chuck to bend said edge upwardly andoutwardly into a completed wire or beaded edge, and a common drive foroperating said chucks.

' of the cap blank tofform. an intumed bead or to move into said secondblank without disturbing the position of said first blank, said firstmember being pivoted intermediate its ends to said guideway and having aportion adjacent one end thereof adapted to operate said first memberand having means adjacent the other end thereof extending into the pathof the chuck adapted to be operated by the chuck to release said firstblank and said second blank to permit said second blank to replace thefirst blank after it is moved out of the guideway. by the chuck.

15. In a device for forming aninturned bead on a closure cap or similararticle, the combination of an elongated-forming. section, meansextending into and rotatably supporting-the closure cap to move it in apath'a'long, saidelongated forming section to spin the J lower edge ofthe cap inwardlyj intoasubstantially horizon- .tal flangefa secondelongated forming section, devicesfor subsequentlyextending into and -roI tatably supporting the closurecap and moving it i along said elongatedforming section to spinsaid flange upwardly and outwardly againsttheside- [of the'cap to forman' intumedbead or wire edge, fandmechanismfor centering ablank on said'. means and removing it' fromsaidmeans ontoone 1 of said devices.

'16. In adevicefor forming an-mtumedibead on a' closure cap orsimilar'article, the combina 1 tion of means for; spinning the loweredge of the cap blank inwardly into :a substantially horizontal flange,devices for subsequently spinning said,

flange upwardly and outwardly against "the side wire edge and mechanism:for transferring the cap blank fr'omsaid means to said devicesanda drivefor operating saidmeans and said devices in timed relation with respecttoeach other.

17. The method of; forming an inturned bead V or wire edge at the bottomof a closure cap blank 3 having a substantially cylindrical lower part.

which method comprisessimultaneously rotating the cap and moving italong aportion of an orbit, applying pressure ina. directionsubstantially 7 radially inwardly of the cap blank to spin a portion ofthe lowerflcylindrical part of the-cap blank into an intumed flange andsubsequently completing the bead by simultaneously rotating the capblank and moving it along a portion of a different orbit and applyingpressure substan- I tially outwardly radially of the cap blank to foldsaid intumed flange against the skirt of the cap.

18. The methodof forming an inturnedbead or wire edge on} a closure capor similar article,

which method comprises moving a cup-shaped blank having a cylindricallower part alongfa portion ofan orbit and'simultaneously rotating theblank and spinning the lower edge thereof inwardly into an inturnedsubstantiallyhorizontal flange-and moving said blank along a portion 1:of a different orbit and simultaneously rotating i the blank andspinning said vintumed flangeupwardly and outwardly against the sideblank .to form an intumed bead or wire-edge.

- 19. The method of formingan intumed bead or wire edge inthemanufacture of a closure cap or similar article, which methodcomprises forming a cup-shaped blank with an annularsubstantially-cylindrical band at the bottom offset outwardly, spinningthe lower edge of said band inwardly to form an intumed flange bypressure applied in a direction substantially radially inwardly of thecap while moving the cap along a portion of an orbit, continuing themovement of the cap into a different orbit completing the bead byapplying pressure to said intumed portion radially outwardly of the capwhile the cap is moving along a portion of said orbit and forming ascrew thread in said cap while moving in one of said orbits.

20. The method of forming a thread and intumed bead or wire edge in themanufacture of a closure cap or similar article, which method comprisesmoving a cup-shaped blank in a path, rotating the blank during saidmovement to spin inwardly the lower edge of the cap blank, forming athread in the cap while the rotating blank is moving in said path and,subsequent to the continuous operation of forming the thread and theinturned edge, moving said blank in a different path and completing theformation of the bead by forcing said intumed edge upwardly andoutwardly.

21. The method of forming an intumed bead or wire edge in themanufacture of a closure cap or similar article, which method comprisesmoving a cup-shaped cap blank having a cylindrical lower part in aplane, rotating the cap blank about an axis perpendicularly to the planeof movement, spinning the lower edge of the cylindrical part of the capblank inwardly into an intumed edge to partially form a bead on thebottom of the skirt forming a thread in the cap blank, and thereaftercompleting the formation of the bead in the cap after the formation ofthe thread by spinning said intumed edge outwardly in a continuousoperation.

22. In a device of the clas described, the combination of means forfeeding blanks for closure caps, a chuck adapted to enter and carry ablank for a closure cap, said chuck being of a smaller diameter than theblank, means cooperating with the chuck for forcing inwardly a portionof the blank, expansible means including a freely mounted ring memberassociated with said chuck, and a pin extending axiallyof the chuck witha shoulder thereon, said pin through the intermediation of said shoulderbeing adapted to expand said expansible means to centera cap blank onsaid chuck when the pin is moved in an axial direction to preventinterlocking of the inwardly forced part with the chuck.

23. In a device of the class described, the combination of means forfeeding blanks for closure caps, a chuck adapted to enter and carry ablank for a closure cap, said chuck being smaller than the blank, meanscooperating with said chuck to force the flange of the blank inwardly toform a screw projection therein and means associated with said chuck andadapted to center said blank on the chuck at the time of the removal toprevent the screw means from interlocking with parts of the chuck duringthe removal operation. I

24. In a device of the class described, the combination of means forfeeding blanks for closure caps, said blanks having an intumed flange atthe bottom thereof, a chuck adapted to enter and carry a blank, saidchuck being smaller than the blank, means for rotating said chuck aboutits axis and for moving it in an orbit, and means cooperating with thechuck to apply pressure radially outwardly against said flange to forcesaid flange upwardly and outwardly against the inside of the flange ofthe blank during said rotary and orbital movement to form an intumedbead on the blank.

JOHN C. GIBBS.

